Gostivar (Гостивар) is a Macedonian city, located in the upper Polog region, Western Macedonia. It is the fifth largest city in the country with a population of 46,000 (Macedonians: 33,15%, Albanians: 47,12%, Turks: 12,72%, Roma, Serbs, Vlachs and Bosnians), the town also covers 1.341 square kilometres. Gostivar is situated on the foothills of one of the most important mountains in the region:Šar Planina mountain. Near to Gostivar is the village of Vrutok, where the Vardar river begins at an altitude of 683 meters from the base of the Šar Planina mountain. Vardar extends through Gostivar, cutting it in half, passes through the capital Skopje, goes through the country, enters Greece and finally reaches the Aegean Sea. The most significant monuments in the city is the Clock Tower (Saat-Kula) and the St. Bogorodica church. It's first mentioning is in 1313 as a settlement of 200 residents. Origin of the name 'Gostivar': In the Suva Gora-region (meaning dry mountain), there were churches and monasteries. Almost all the monasteries had farms in the Gostivar field. The settlement of what will be the town of Gostivar was an important centre of the monasteries (‚metuf' - meaning Monastery land). The people from the metufs of the Suva Gora monasteries went to Gostivar to feast. They ate good food and led a dissipated life there for several days. The name of the town of Gostivar derived from those feasts (‚goshtevanja'). During Second World War, Gostivar like the rest of the Western part of Macedonia were under Italian and Albanian fascistic occupation, the ethnic Macedonian population was terrorized by Albanian bandits (Balisti), their pro-Italian fascistic organization was called "Bali Kombetar". When the Macedonian liberation movement begun the organized Macedonian fighters clashed with the Balisti, under the deads was the Balisti-leader 'Djemo'. The most important ethnic Macedonian fighter in this region was the national hero Cedo Filipovski-Dame (a statue is to find at the town's square) In 1997 Clashes between Albanian extremists and the Macedonian Police because of the illegal positioning of the Albanian State Flag in front of the municipal building. Gostivar today is a modern city, it has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region: Tetovo, Skopje, Kičevo, Ohrid, and Debar. A new and modern freeway was built, in 1995, from Gostivar to Tetovo, 24 km long. The city of Gostivar is the seat of the Gostivar municipality. www.gostivar.com.mk/

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